Wot In The Harri Potter?

44 - The First To Die At The Beginning

Literally, the second we are in the skies, shit happens.

"DUCK, HARRI!"

"Where?"

I nearly shit myself as a green jet of light whistles past my ear.

Hagrid veers the motorcycle sharply left, and I have to hold onto the sides of the side car so tightly to prevent myself from falling out.

I crane my neck, trying to see what is happening. My blood goes cold as I see hundreds of Death Eaters on broomsticks following us.

"Hagrid! Fly faster!" I yell as loudly as I can, panic causing my heart to rise in my throat.

"I'm on it!" Hagrid bellows back, "just hold tight there, Harri!"

I feel sick as Hagrid accelerates the motorcycle forwards. Jets of wand light narrowly miss us and I hope and pray that the rest of the Guard are okay.

And then Hagrid rolls the motorbike over. I lose any sense of where I am as I cling to the sidecar for dear life. Hedwig's cage slips from beneath my knees-

"No - HEDWIG!"

My heart is in my mouth as I manage to seize the top of her cage. The motorbike swings the right way up again and I have a second's relief. Then a burst of green lights slams into the cage. Hedwig screeches.

"No - NO!"

I pull the cage to my lap, not being able to take it in as the snowy owl lies motionless on the floor.

"Hedwig?"

But she doesn't stir.

*****

I bump into Voldemort again and he yet again fails miserably to kill me.

He really needs to give it up.

*****

We crash land into a muddy pond. But I don't care as I'm so relieved to be back on solid(ish) ground, and in one piece to boot.

"Harri!" A voice cries out as Hagrid and I stagger out of the water. "Rubeus!"

I look up to see Molly running towards us, her face stricken.

"Where are the others?" I ask as she dries me at once with the flick of her wand.

Molly pales considerably and I feel sick. "You're first back, dear."

"Haven't go' any brandy, have yeh, Molly?" Hagrid asks a little shakily. "Fer medicinal purposes?"

"Ron and Tonks should have been back first," Molly whispers, ignoring Hagrid's request. "And Arthur and Fred were supposed to be second..."

She tails off, shaking, and I feel a horrific sensation knot unpleasantly in my chest. Suddenly I cannot breathe and lights begin to dot my vision.

"Mum!" Ginny shouts, racing from the Burrow towards us and pointing up to a spot in the sky. "Look!"

I spin around, my heart thudding hopefully.

Lupin and George appear, flying haphazardly down towards us from the sky. I know instantly something is wrong as they fall off the broomstick.

George is unconscious, face covered in blood. My stomach lurches at the sight and I hurry forward to help Lupin carry him to the Burrow where we lie him down on the sofa.

"Oh my George, my precious boy!" Molly sobs as she hugs her now semi earless son.

I'm about to say something reassuring when Lupin goes and does a Dumbledore on me and throws me against a wall.